QuickBooks GoPayment is a mobile point-of-sale system app that helps small-business owners process payments on the go. The app uses QuickBooks Payments to process transactions, and clients can pair it with the QuickBooks Card Reader to accept dipped, swiped and digital wallet payments. QuickBooks Payments is only available to businesses that use QuickBooks for accounting.
For mobile businesses that already rely on QuickBooks for their accounting needs, the GoPayment app, combined with QuickBooks Payments, is a convenient way to accept payments without having to find a third-party processor. Available for both Android and iOS devices, the app itself is free, though you'll need to pay payment processing fees.
How does QuickBooks GoPayment work?
Before you download the app, make sure to sign up for QuickBooks Payments and connect it with your QuickBooks Payments account. If you already have a card reader, you’re ready to download QuickBooks GoPayment and link them together using Bluetooth. From there, your mobile device will turn into a basic point-of-sale system, equipped with the following capabilities:
- Mobile payment processing.
- Syncs transactions with QuickBooks Online account.
- Taxable transactions.
- Set up a tipping option with QuickBooks Card Reader.
- Basic inventory item library.
- Send receipts through text and email.
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QuickBooks Payments pricing
QuickBooks GoPayment is free to download, but you’ll need QuickBooks Payments to actually process transactions. The service has a pricing structure that varies depending on whether you use QuickBooks Desktop or QuickBooks Online for accounting.
For QuickBooks Online users
- 2.5% for in-person payments.
- 2.99% for online and invoiced payments.
- 3.5% for manually keyed payments.
- 1% for ACH transactions.
For QuickBooks Desktop users
Pay as you go plan (no monthly fee):
- 2.4% plus 30 cents per in-person transaction.
- 3.5% plus 30 cents per keyed-in or invoiced transaction.
- 1% per ACH transfer.
Pay monthly plan ($20 monthly fee):
- 1.6% plus 30 cents per in-person transaction.
- 3.3% plus 30 cents per keyed-in or invoiced transaction.
- 1% per ACH transfer.
Pros
Convenient for QuickBooks clients
Having your accounting software, POS system and payment processing services under one roof is a time-saver. For one, you don’t have to reach out to multiple companies when something goes wrong and you need support. Second, transactions accepted by the QuickBooks Card Reader, which can be paired with the GoPayment app, are automatically reconciled in QuickBooks’ accounting software. In addition, there’s a good chance that existing QuickBooks accounting customers already use the company’s payment processing service to accept electronic payments from emails or invoices.
Cons
Limited to businesses that use QuickBooks accounting
Oftentimes, non-accounting QuickBooks products only integrate with other Intuit and QuickBooks products, or they require a business to use its accounting software. Someone using Xero accounting, for example, couldn’t use the GoPayment app or QuickBooks Payments for credit card processing. Overall, the product isn’t a good fit for people who like to combine services from multiple providers.
Alternatives
PayPal Zettle
Payment processing fees:
- 2.29% plus 9 cents for in-person and QR code transactions.
- 3.49% plus 9 cents for manual-entry card transactions.
- 2.99% plus 49 cents for invoicing (payment made with card).
- 3.49% plus 49 cents for invoicing (payment made with PayPal).
Why we like it: The PayPal Zettle POS app is free, like QuickBooks GoPayment, but its card-present processing rate is less expensive. There are no long-term contracts or monthly fees, and card readers are affordable. The system also integrates with QuickBooks Online.
Square POS
Payment processing fees:
- 2.6% plus 15 cents for in-person transactions with Free plan.
- 3.3% plus 30 cents for online transactions with Free plan.
- 2.5% plus 15 cents for in-person transactions with Plus plan.
- 2.4% plus 15 cents for in-person transaction with Premium plan.
- 2.9% plus 30 cents for online transactions with Plus and Premium plans.
- 3.5% plus 15 cents for manually keyed transactions.
Why we like it: Square’s POS app is also free, and you’ll receive a free card reader when you sign up. The company’s processing rates take a larger percentage of each transaction than QuickBooks Payments does, but the software includes other freebies, like inventory management capabilities and an e-commerce site, that might make up for it.
A version of this article was first published on Fundera, a subsidiary of NerdWallet.
